AI-powered
podcast player
Listen to all your favourite podcasts with AI-powered features
Stanford Psychology Podcast
120 - Steve Fleming and Nadine Dijkstra: Distinguishing Imagination from Reality
Oct 26, 2023
Prof. Steve Fleming and Dr. Nadine Dijkstra explore the distinction between reality and imagination, discussing a recent study on perceptual reality monitoring. They delve into the role of signal strength in distinguishing reality from imagination and discuss the implications for mental health and court cases. They also share their personal journeys in science and emphasize the importance of perseverance in scientific research.
38:17
Episode guests
AI Summary
AI Chapters
Episode notes
Podcast summary created with Snipd AI
Quick takeaways
- Our perceptions of reality and imagination can become mixed, and the strength of the signal plays a crucial role in determining our experience.
- The study identified three key brain regions involved in distinguishing between reality and imagination: the pre-supplementary motor cortex, the anterior insula, and the right dorsolateral prefrontal cortex.
Deep dives
The Overlapping Perceptions of Reality and Imagination
In this podcast episode, Professor Steve Fleming and Dr. Nadina Dykstra discuss a recent study that challenges the assumption that we can readily distinguish between reality and imagination. They explain that when we internally generate a visual experience, similar brain areas become active as when we actually experience it in reality. The study conducted by Mary C. Wesperger, back in the 19th century, indicated that people can sometimes mistake or confuse their imagination with reality. Building on that study, Dr. Dykstra and Professor Fleming conducted a modern version of the experiment. The results suggest that our perceptions of reality and imagination can become mixed, and that the strength of the signal plays a crucial role in determining our experience. This finding has important implications for understanding consciousness and how we interpret our experiences.
Get the Snipd
podcast app
Unlock the knowledge in podcasts with the podcast player of the future.
AI-powered
Discover
highlights
Listen to the best highlights from the podcasts you love and dive into the full episode
Save any
moment
Hear something you like? Tap your headphones to save it with AI-generated key takeaways
Share
& Export
Send highlights to Twitter, WhatsApp or export them to Notion, Readwise & more
AI-powered
podcast player
Listen to all your favourite podcasts with AI-powered features
Discover
highlights
Listen to the best highlights from the podcasts you love and dive into the full episode